At least 12 workers were trapped inside an under-construction road tunnel in Sikkim’s Namchi district after a landslide blocked its entrance on Monday afternoon, police said.
The landslide also triggered a suspected gas leak inside the Samardung tunnel, they said.
The gas is believed to be naturally emanating from underground strata or rock formations disturbed by the landslide, they added.
Teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), SDRF, police and the Fire and Emergency Services are carrying out the rescue operation, a police officer said.
“Rescue operations are underway, but the operation has been complicated by the presence of gas inside the tunnel.
Several rescue personnel experienced dizziness and lost consciousness while attempting to reach the trapped workers,” he said.
“Ambulances have been kept on standby, while rescuers equipped with gas masks are trying to reach the trapped workers inside the tunnel,” he added.
The tunnel is being constructed as part of a highway project, officials said.
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
Disclaimer: We do not own any of the content, ideas, images, or text presented here. All rights belong to their respective owners. For more information and to view the original source, please visit the following link: